


textualize

by juunkets (recklessfishes)



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: AU, M/M, Underage Drinking, no spoilers for TRK because I'm not about that life, post-BLLB, where ronan actually uses his phone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-08 12:20:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6854404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/recklessfishes/pseuds/juunkets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ronan Lynch never uses his phone. Ever. So when Adam gets a call from him at two thirteen in the morning, he's more than a little confused.</p>
            </blockquote>





	textualize

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first work for the raven cycle fandom and it's mildly terrifying for me to post rip. this fic has no spoilers for TRK. 
> 
> title from the song "drunk text romance" by cyberbully mom club

Ronan Lynch never uses his fucking phone. This has been established time and again. There was the Tire Incident, where Gansey had been left stranded on the side of the road for four hours before Ronan had remembered to glance at his phone. There was the Cow Incident, which Gansey insisted was never to be spoken of again. Every piece of evidence points to the fact that if somebody wants help in a crisis, they should call anyone but Ronan Lynch. 

So when Adam's phone starts playing the Murder Squash song at two thirteen in the morning, he thinks it must be a mistake. The only reason Adam even has a phone is because Gansey wanted a fast way to contact him in case of Glendower emergencies, which have been few and far between recently. The mobile usually sits unused beside his backpack. Now, of course, it's ruining his sleeping schedule. He considers not picking up for a moment- Ronan has a habit of going to shitty parties, and this call might just be a "hey can you come pick me up" plea. But then Adam remembers the last time Ronan used his phone. He mutters a curse and gets up to grab it. 

"Hello?"

The sound of a faint bass beat echoes in the background of the call. Ronan- the person he assumes is Ronan, anyway- lets out a sigh. If Adam could smell through the phone, he'd definitely catch the scent of alcohol. 

"Adam. Adam, hey. Didn't think you'd pick up."

Ronan only ever calls Adam by his first name when drunk. Adam doesn't think Ronan even registers the change. 

"Your annoying Murder Squash ringtone woke me up," he replies, moving to sit back down on his bed. "You never call me, I'd forgotten you set it as your ringtone."

Ronan laughs. "Fucking- fuck, Murder Squash. Great fucking song." He laughs again, slightly off kilter. Adam tries not to feel too alarmed. 

"How much did you have to drink tonight?" he asks quietly. Ronan just laughs again. 

"No idea. Stopped counting after, um... twelve shots? So, lots."

Last time Ronan had gotten this hammered, Gansey had installed a relatively strict no-drinking policy at Monmouth. And Ronan usually isn't stupid enough to drive drunk, so that makes Adam the only person available to pick up his mess. Adam sighs, resigned to his fate. 

"Okay, Lynch. Where are you, asshole?"

"You're actually coming to pick me up?" He sounds shocked, as if this offer was unexpected. 

"Yes. God, Ronan, what did you think I'd do? Leave you to wrap your fancy BMW around a streetlamp somewhere?"

There's static on the other end of the line for a while. Finally, Ronan mutters something along the lines of, "I thought you'd go back to sleep." It's good enough for Adam. 

Instead of waiting for a longer reply he most likely won't get, Adam gingerly steps back down onto the bitterly cold floor and gets dressed. He sleeps in sweatpants and a T-shirt due to St. Agnes' dubious heating, so the process doesn't take long. Once he's picked up two stray socks and slipped on his shoes, Adam grabs the keys to the Hondayota and heads out. 

Shockingly, Ronan is still on the line. He's breathing slower now, softer. Or maybe, Adam reasons, the phone's just further away from his mouth. Ronan is never quiet. Adam's seen Ronan drunk enough to imagine how he looks now: his face flushed, eyes wide and glazed over from too much alcohol, mouth open slightly. Something odd stirs in Adam's gut, and he immediately banishes the thought from his mind. 

"Ronan?" he asks, hoping the other boy hasn't passed out yet. "Where are you?"

Ronan's reply is a barely audible mumble. "Carruthers'."

Of course he'd be at Tad Carruthers' place. It was exactly like Ronan to pick the worst possible party to get sloshed at and then expect Adam to pick him up. Carruthers dislikes Adam with a passion, probably due to the fact that Adam isn't some rich asshole. The classism at Aglionby drives him fucking insane sometimes. 

"Okay," Adam answers. "Stay awake, okay? I don't want to have to comb every inch of Tad Carruthers' lawn looking for your drunk ass."

Something unintelligible from Ronan follows this statement. Adam sighs. 

"Just, I don't know, talk to me or something. Tell me about why you got hammered on a Thursday night." Adam makes a face at this realization. "God, you're gonna be dead tomorrow."

Ronan grunts in response. "'M fine. I've done it before. Wasn't gonna go to school tomorrow anyway." There's a pause, then- "Reasons're the same."

If there's one thing Adam Parrish knows about Ronan Lynch, it's that he never says things until he's good and ready. So he turns onto the road leading to Tad's and waits. 

Ronan's next comment comes as a shock to his system. 

"I'm in love with him, and he's straight." The comment is oddly coherent for somebody who's drunk. Ronan laughs bitterly. "Fuck, Parrish. No, /fuck/ Parrish. That'll solve things."

Adam has the sudden urge to hang up the phone. He fervently hopes Ronan won't remember this in the morning. 

"He's- god, he's fucking beautiful. But straight. Adam, why're you straight? Fucking unfair, that." Ronan's voice never slurs when he's drunk, but it's coming awfully close this time. Adam's hands clench around the steering wheel until his knuckles turn white. 

"Bisexual, actually." His heart is racing. He'd known about Ronan's crush on him for ages but he hadn't thought the other boy would ever do anything about it. He hadn't even dared to hope. But here Adam is, sitting in a car listening to a drunken Ronan Lynch practically professing his love.

On the other end of the line, Ronan huffs. "Means nothing. He still doesn't like me. Or won't, anyway, once he finds out. He's still in love with fucking Blue Sargent, and who am I in comparison?"

Adam can't do this now. And besides, if Ronan remembers nothing of this tomorrow, there's no point telling his sort-of-crush he likes him back. He can see the lights of Tad Carruthers' place in the distance, hear the muted thrum of the music. 

"I'm going to hang up now," he says in lieu of a response. He can see Ronan now, sitting on the curb with a phone to his ear and a bottle in the other hand. Ronan glares up at the Hondayota's headlights, then recognizes Adam in the driver's seat. 

"Kay," he says, and then all Adam can hear is a dial tone. 

Unceremoniously Ronan stands, gulps down the last of his liquor, and drops the bottle to the ground. He clambers into the passenger seat, smelling of alcohol and exhaustion. 

"Let's fucking leave," he grumbles. 

"

Ronan falls asleep on the way back, finally letting the copious amounts of alcohol knock him out. Adam forces himself to stare at the road in an attempt not to look at the curve of Ronan's jaw or the sharp angles of his cheekbones. He honestly hopes Ronan won't remember anything in the morning. Most likely his feelings would be alcohol-based, and Adam would be bluntly told that Ronan didn't actually like him, that it was more of a spur-of-the-moment thing. He really doesn't want that to happen. 

He pulls into the driveway of Monmouth Manufacturing, then thinks better of it. Monmouth's lights are all out, but bull-in-a-china-shop Ronan would certainly wake Gansey up by crashing into every conceivable object. If Adam wants Ronan to not get yelled at, St. Agnes' is his best bet. Adam puts the car into reverse, deciding that he'll try to sleep on the floor. He doesn't want to make Ronan feel uncomfortable. 

It's not that he minds sharing a bed with Ronan. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Ronan doesn't snore, and his perpetually warmth makes the frigid atmosphere of St. Agnes more bearable, even if only for a night. No, Adam's slightly worried that he'll get too close to Ronan in the night, and that would fuck everything up. 

He stops the car outside of his shitty apartment and shakes Ronan awake. Groggily, Lynch tries to tell him to fuck off, but Adam insists. 

"You can't sleep in the car. Come on, I'm not your mom, Ronan. Get your ass in my bed."

Ronan blinks up at him, stunned. "What?"

Suddenly, Adam realizes all the possible interpretations of his last statement. To make matters more confusing, Ronan looks like he wants to take Adam up on one of those interpretations. Judging by the look in his eyes, it's probably not the platonic one. Adam runs a hand through his hair in frustration. 

"Just- just get upstairs, Lynch." He's determined not to do anything stupid tonight, not even if Ronan wants to. 

'He's drunk,' Adam reminds himself. 'He won't feel this way in the morning.'

Sighing, he leads the way upstairs into his apartment. Ronan follows with minimal difficulty, pausing only a few times to retch. He doesn't throw up, though, which Adam is profoundly grateful for. 

They make it into his room, and Ronan immediately collapses onto the bed. Adam stands there awkwardly for a moment, debating whether to sleep at his desk or on the floor. Ronan kicks his combat boots off, startling him. With his face still buried in Adam's pillow, Ronan mutters, "Get in the bed, Parrish."

So Adam gets in the bed. Minutes later, Ronan is fast asleep. Adam focuses on his breathing, slow and even, and the way Ronan's mouth is partially open. They're facing each other for no real reason, but Adam doesn't want to wake Ronan up by shifting to the other side. Eventually, Adam manages to fall asleep, even with his brain trying to keep him awake by reminding him of Ronan's presence. 

He wakes the next morning to an empty bed and a sticky note on his backpack that reads "thanks, Parrish," in Ronan's messy scrawl. 

* * *  
It isn't even two days later when Ronan's murder squash ringtone fills up Adam's apartment. This time, though, it seems to be more of an accident than anything else, because Ronan texts Adam before he can even pick up the phone. 

mrdrsqsh: sorry man didnt mean to do that

mrdrsqsh: im drunk again

mrdrsqsh: surprise surprise

Adam isn't surprised at all, but he is a little annoyed. When Gansey had given him the phone, he'd expected a Glendower emergency hotline, not a Drunk Ronan hotline. Not that drunk Ronan wasn't entertaining, but Adam couldn't babysit him. 

eyes/hands: ronan go be drunk somewhere else I'm trying to study for history

mrdrsqsh: youre always fuckign studying

mrdrsqsh: come over 

mrdrsqsh: no actually where r u

mrdrsqsh: not driving & drinking is for fucking losers

mrdrsqsh: ill come over

eyes/hands: RONAN NO

eyes/hands: goddamn it lynch

eyes/hands: fucking fine. where are you I'll come pick you up

eyes/hands: if only so you won't kill yourself

mrdrsqsh: love u too adam 

Adam stares at the text, confused. Is this something he should reply to in kind, or should he just tell Ronan to fuck off or something? He's saved from his internal panic by Ronan's following text. 

mrdrsqsh: im actually at st agnes already so just let me in

mrdrsqsh: if you're there

mrdrsqsh: which I bet u are

mrdrsqsh: youre always there or at the car place but I checked there already so

Adam gets up and opens his door to find Ronan propped up against a wall typing rapidly on his phone. His headphones are in, and the volume's so loud that the annoying electronic sounds reach Adam's ears. 

"Hey, Lynch," he says, tapping Ronan on the shoulder. Ronan jumps, startled. 

"Jesus Christ, Parrish, you could've given me a heads up." He sounds pissed, but Adam knows Ronan well enough to not be bothered by it. 

"I knew you were out here. Also, why the hell are you texting me? You never use your phone."

Ronan shrugs, but Adam could swear he starts to blush a bit. "No reason. I figured it would be a good change from me ramming down your fucking door." He crosses his arms. "So, can I come in, or are we just gonna stand here?"

Adam lets him inside. 

Ronan immediately and to no one's surprise takes up residence on Adam's bed while Adam studies. He dicks around on his phone for a bit, then pulls something out of his pocket. It looks like a Rubic's Cube, but it's most likely actually something Ronan pulled from his dreams. When Adam isn't focusing on the politics of post-Reconstruction America, he wonders what it does. 

By the time he finishes studying, the sky has grown dark and Ronan has grown oddly silent. Adam glances over to see him asleep, the dream object still in his hands. Something about the cube is oddly inviting, so Adam picks it up and tries to figure out what it does. 

It's a puzzle box, sort of. He can hear something rattling around inside the cube, and so he attempts to solve it. Like everything Ronan-related, however, the answer is far from simple, so he ends up tossing the block back onto the bed. He lets Ronan keep sleeping. 

When Ronan leaves at around midnight, he hands Adam the puzzle cube. Adam sets it up beside his desk. 

* * *  
The last time it happens, Adam is elbows deep in an ancient Honda Civic engine and can't check his phone. It isn't a surprise when every single text he gets during work is from Ronan. 

mrdrsqsh: heyyy fucker

mrdrsqsh: you should come keep me company

mrdrsqsh: you wont though youre at work

mrdrsqsh: still

mrdrsqsh: i maybe miss hanging out with you 

mrdrsqsh: anyways

mrdrsqsh: has anybody ever told you you have really nice eyes

mrdrsqsh: because you do

mrdrsqsh: also really nice hands 

mrdrsqsh: your hands are a blessing to humanity

mrdrsqsh: i'd actually murder somebody to hold hands with you

mrdrsqsh: yes before you ask i may b drinking again

mrdrsqsh: but im also really good at acting drunk so whatever

mrdrsqsh: fuck adam you should come over

mrdrsqsh: bet youre working on cars right now

mrdrsqsh: its fuckign hot when you do that

mrdrsqsh: id let you do anything to me if u looked like you do when you fix cars

mrdrsqsh: which is actually what you look like a lot of the time

mrdrsqsh: youre always hot

mrdrsqsh: this was probably really fucking stupid of me im gonna go now

Adam reads every single text and responds without even thinking about it. 

eyes/hands: stop getting drunk and just ask me out already lynch

The reply is almost instantaneous. 

mrdrsqsh: hey fucker

mrdrsqsh: why the fuck would you want to date me

mrdrsqsh: (do you want to date me)

eyes/hands: come over

eyes/hands: and yeah

* * *  
The first time the Glendower Emergency Line is actually used for its real purpose, it's eight in the morning. Adam rolls over and buries his face in his pillow. 

"Get that, will you?" he asks, muffled. Ronan mutters a few curses, but he reaches across the bed and picks up Adam's cellphone. 

"Hello. Yes, Gansey, it's Ronan. Why are you so surprised? I'm allowed to answer Parrish's phone if I want to." Adam looks up at him, and Ronan mouths, "Cabeswater."

After a rather hostile conversation with Gansey, Ronan hangs up and falls back onto the bed. He reaches for Adam's hand and intertwines their fingers as he speaks. "Dick says the ley lines are acting up again and that we should come to Cabeswater to investigate. I say that's a load of horseshit, but it's up to you."

Adam forces himself into a sitting position. "That's fine. I haven't gone in a while. Cabeswater would be happy, I guess."

"And," Ronan grins, "we can fuck with Gansey's head."

"Yes," Adam says, rolling his eyes. "That too."

Fifteen minutes later, Ronan parks his BMW next to the Pig and trudges over to where Gansey is. Gansey's being his usual self, looking dramatically out into the distance. As soon as he spots them, his face takes on a mildly suspicious look. 

"Why did Ronan answer your phone, Adam?" He sounds completely polite, but there's something about the old money tone that makes Adam cringe. Ronan winks at him almost imperceptibly, then starts talking. 

"Oh, no reason. I was just staying over." 

If Gansey notices Ronan's oddly polite tone of voice, he doesn't comment on it. "Oh? What for?"

Ronan grins a snake's grin. "Parrish said he'd write my English essay, and who was I to refuse?"

Adam punches Ronan's arm lightly. "Actually, I was helping him study."

Gansey looks confused, but segues briskly into explaining their presence at the forest. "There's something up with the ley lines. Blue isn't available this morning, and Noah's, well, Noah, so I figured you two would be the best for the job."

"Whatever, Dick. Lead the way."

Gansey strides into the woods, looking every bit the pretentious Aelsh scholar. Adam and Ronan follow at a distance, Ronan occasionally stopping to kiss him. After the fifth such incident, Adam pushes him away. 

Quietly, so Gansey won't hear, he hisses, "If you keep this up, he's either going to notice or I'm going to get a hard-on in the middle of Cabeswater."

Ronan smirks. "So?"

"So I really don't want to explain to Gansey why Cabeswater suddenly turns me on."

From in front of them, Gansey yells, "What?"

"Adam here's just explaining that magical forests really turn him on."

"Oh, fuck you," Adam retorts. 

"Please do." 

Gansey just raises his eyebrows. "Okay..."

As soon as he turns around, Ronan pushes Adam up against a tree. He leans in close, and Adam closes his eyes.

"Okay," Gansey says. "What exactly is going on?"

Without backing away, Ronan replies, "Parrish and I are about to make out, so if you wouldn't mind?" He makes a shooing motion with his hand, and Adam sees Gansey flush a bright red. 

"Um, yes, of course. Exactly. I'll just, um, leave you to it." He practically sprints away. 

Ronan turns and watches him go, then looks back at Adam. 

"Now, where were we?"


End file.
